Here is a list of our most frequently asked questions

These frequently asked questions (FAQ) provide answers to general questions about LPI and our certification program. Have a question that isn’t covered here? Please contact us and we’ll do our best to help.

General FAQ

What does Linux Professional Institute do?

The Linux Professional Institute is the world's first and largest vendor-neutral Linux certification body. We are committed to helping members of the Linux and open source community grow their career opportunities by providing professional resources and skills certifications. Supported by a global affiliate network, LPI is working to raise awareness of the power of open source technologies while helping to ensure IT professionals have the skills required to be competitive in the global workplace.

What is the difference between the LPI and CompTIA exams?

In 2010, LPI and CompTIA formed a partnership in which CompTIA opted to replace their Linux+ exams with LPI's LPIC-1 exams, and have branded them CompTIA Linux+ Powered by LPI. The Linux+ exams offered by CompTIA are identical to LPI's LPIC-1 exams (the exam objectives are identical and the questions on the exams are exactly the same). The CompTIA exam codes LX0-103 and LX0-104 correspond directly to the LPI 101 and LPI 102, respectively.

What are the benefits of certification?

We encourage you to peruse our site to learn the benefits of certification. Our Linux Professionals page describes many benefits to pursuing a career in Linux and open source. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

Establishes your competence for well-defined Linux-related functions

Helps you show your value to a potential contractor or employer

Certification helps you set out and follow a career path

LPI certification is developed from within the Linux community, by your peers, and gives you the opportunity to help develop the certification standards and exams.

How does LPI compare to other Linux certification programs?

The biggest difference between LPI and other Linux certification programs is that our exams are completely vendor independent and distribution neutral. This helps you prove your skills across distributions to give you the flexibility to work in a wide range of environments. Vendor-specific programs like Red Hat and SUSE test only on their own distribution of Linux.

We welcome all of these programs because, in the end, they all help grow the pool of Linux support professionals which drives adoption of Linux!

Why do you use written tests?

Written exams are a global standard, even in IT. The procedures for producing high-quality multiple choice exams are firmly established. No such standard exists for hands-on exams. Therefore they tend to be ad hoc and rarely include pilot testing, item analysis, formal standard setting, and equating.

In 2010, CompTIA adopted LPI’s LPIC-1 exams as their Linux+ certification. As a result of this partnership, candidates may elect to have their exam scores shared with LPI after taking the CompTIA Linux+ powered by LPI exams (LX0-103 and LX0-104). Once we receive your results (typically within 24-48 hours), you will automatically receive the LPIC-1 certification from LPI at no additional cost or testing. Visit CompTIA to purchase vouchers and sign up for the Linux+ exam.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the partnership, candidates who already hold their LPIC-1, -2, -3 are not eligible to receive the CompTIA Linux+ powered by LPI certification without additional testing.

No. You may write any version of the exams and they will count toward your certification equally. When we release a new version of an exam with updated objectives, the previous version remains available to candidates for 6 months. We do this to allow candidates to write the version of the exam that they have studied for. So for example, if you passed the 117-201 exam in the past, passing the 202-400 exam now would still result in achieving LPIC-2 certification.

How much do LPI exams cost?

The Linux Essentials exam is available for $120 USD. All LPIC exams are available for $200 USD each. Prices may vary slightly by region and currency exchange rates.

The Linux Essentials exam is 40 questions and must be completed in 60 minutes.

All LPIC exams are 60 questions each and must be completed in 90 minutes.

All exams consist of multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.

How good are your tests?

We apply psychometric principles throughout the exam development and scoring process and have experienced, dedicated Linux community members to assist us as subject matter experts for our projects to help ensure we continue to produce the highest quality exams we can. Additionally, we conduct thorough statistical analyses to evaluate exam reliability and individual exam items.

Because of these analyses and the psychometric properties of our exams, we feel our exams are tough, but fair.

As of April 1, 2009, all exam weights for LPIC exams have been standardized to 60 weights.

Each LPI exam is ranked on a scale from 200 to 800, with a passing score of 500. Since exam questions vary in difficulty, the number of correct answers required to reach the passing score of 500 will depend on the exact combination of questions on the exam you write. For security purposes, candidates are not always given the same questions as one another for a particular exam. The exact passing score is based on our psychometric studies to ensure all exams have a consistent level of difficulty.

The number of questions on the exam is also tied to the total of the weights of the objectives on the exam. With a total weight count of 60, the exam will have 60 questions. For each weighting, there will be one question. For example, if an objective has a weight of 4, there will be 4 questions on the exam related to the objective.

Certification FAQ

You will need to enter your LPI ID and certification's verification code. This code can be found by logging into Your Profile.

How long will it take to receive my certification package once I've passed?

Your certification will be sent via regular post once you become certified. Please allow up to 6-8 weeks for delivery.

Please also ensure that the mailing address on your profile is up to date before writing your exams.

Can I receive a PDF copy of my certificate?

Yes. A PDF copy of your certificate can be downloaded from the overview page within your lpi.org account.

DevOps Certification FAQ

Where can I learn more about LPI's DevOps Certification?

Please visit lpi.org/devops page for more information and instructions on participating in the exam development process.

How can I prepare for the Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer certification?

The Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer exam objectives have been published here. We encourage you to follow our blog for updates from our Director of Certification Development, Fabian Thorns.

How can I receive updates about the development of DevOps certification?

LPI will provide updates on the development of the new certification on its blog. Besides that, the news about the certification development will be posted on the LPI news section and on social media.

Will there be beta exams for the Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer certification?

Beta exams are an important part of LPI’s quality assurance and will be available for Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer. Visit our registration page to sign-up for a beta exam.

How many exams do I have to pass to become Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer?

The certification is awarded after passing one exam. The exam contains 60 questions of which the candidate has 90 minutes to answer.

Can I use the DevOps Engineer certification to extend the ACTIVE date of my LPIC-1/-2/-3 certifications?

No, the Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer certification is not part of LPI’s Linux certification track and cannot be used to extend LPIC-1/-2/-3 certifications.

Can I use the DevOps Engineer certification to advance from LPIC-1 to LPIC-2 or from LPIC-2 to LPIC-3?

No, the Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer certification is not part of LPI’s Linux certification track and cannot be used to obtain an LPIC-1/-2/-3 certification.

Do I need another LPI certificate in order to take the Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer exam?

No, there are no requirements to take the exam. LPI recommends candidates to have Linux skills on an LPIC-1 level and a similar amount of knowledge in software engineering, including proficiency in least one programming language.

What does the Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer certification do for me and my career?

The new certification will provide the framework and will confirm that a candidate has a skillset necessary to work in a DevOps environment. It’s a fact that candidates and workers with certification get invited to challenging and interesting projects. You’re welcome to join them.

How is LPI's DevOps Engineer certification going to improve the knowledge and skills of my employees?

Each workplace has a demand for specific skillsets, and projects develop and focus the skillset on certain tools, which sometimes leaves gaps in the knowledge. DevOps certification is here to compensate for the gaps and confirm a more complete knowledge of the skillset.

When will the Linux Professional Institute DevOps Engineer certification be available?

LPI is a non profit organization.

LPI is the global certification standard and career support organization for open source professionals. With more than 600,000 exams delivered, it's the world’s first and largest vendor-neutral Linux and open source certification body. LPI has certified professionals in over 180 countries, delivers exams in 9 languages, and has hundreds of training partners.

Our purpose is to enable economic and creative opportunities for everybody by making open source knowledge and skills certification universally accessible.